5 ways to boost your metabolism

HERE ARE FIVE EFFECTIVE DIET AND TRAINING STRATEGIES DESIGNED TO HELP YOU BOOST YOUR METABOLISM TO HELP YOU BURN MORE CALORIES!

Remember to consult your doctor before starting any diet and exercise plan.

Your metabolism functions with a set of chemical reactions within your body that help you efficiently utilize the calories you consume. Not only is it responsible for regulating such bodily functions as breathing, blood circulation and muscle contraction, but it also plays a major role in your body’s ability to burn calories. Here we outline five ways in which you can effectively boost your metabolism and turn your body into a white-hot calorie-burning machine!

1. EAT MORE OFTEN

Bodybuilders have long known that eating smaller meals more frequently, spaced out at intervals of 2-3 hours, is a proven way to keep your metabolic rate elevated, which directly impacts your ability to burn more calories. Make sure that the meals you’re eating are high in protein and complex carbohydrates, with moderate to low levels of fat (like the ones seen below).

2. TRAIN HARDER

Intense weight training is another very effective way to spike your metabolic rate and burn more calories. Training principles such as supersets involve performing two or more complimentary exercises back-to-back, with little to no rest in between (see chart). By supersetting your exercises and keeping your rest time to a minimum, your heart rate – and metabolism – will be gunning at full throttle.

Day 1

Chest

Incline Bench Press / Push-Ups

Day 2

Biceps

Standing Barbell Curls / Seated Dumbell Curls

Day 3

Triceps

Dips / Single Arm Triceps Pressdowns

Day 4

Back

Lat Pull-Downs / Dumbell Rows

Day 5

Shoulders

Shoulder Press / Standing Lateral Raises

Day 6

Legs

Squats / Lunges

3.EAT MORE PROTEIN

Besides being one of the most important macronutrients to help bodybuilders build muscle, protein requires more digestive energy to process than either carbohydrates or fat and burns more calories as a result. It also doesn’t cause dramatic spikes in insulin and blood sugar, which often lead to cravings and weight gain.

4. BUILD MORE MUSCLE

Building more lean muscle is one of the most effective ways to boost your metabolic rate. Lean muscle places a higher caloric demand on your body and therefore requires more fuel to function. Increasing your lean muscle mass through weight lifting and resistance training will elevate your metabolic rate as your body will need to compensate to meet this increased need for functional energy

5. USE INTERVAL TRAINING

Interval training is a method of cardiovascular training that involves short bursts of intense activity, followed by longer bouts of moderate to low-intensity activity done at 2:1 intervals (e.g. sprinting for 30 seconds, followed by a light jog for 60 seconds). This method of training will not only help you burn more calories, but has been shown to elevate the resting metabolic rate as well! Interval training can be done with any type of cardio exercise (biking, rowing, etc.), but is most commonly performed with running.

As you can see, there are several different ways in which you can effectively boost your metabolism to burn more calories. Whether you choose to incorporate some or all of these strategies into your diet and training program, they can each contribute to helping you achieve your goal of building a strong, lean and muscular physique!